Monday, April 10, 2017

(Rome) On Palm Sunday, Pope Franziskus celebrated the Liturgy of the blessing of the Palms, and Holy Mass on the St. Peter's Square in Rome - and knelt down.

When the Passion story was sung, when the words came, "But Jesus cried aloud. Then he breathed out the spirit," all knelt down in memory of the death of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis, too, knelt on a knee-stool prepared for him.

This is to be reported, because the missing kneeling of the reigning pope before the Most Blessed Sacrament was recently discussed in some contributions with a view to the forthcoming Holy Thursday. The kneeling in remembrance of the crucifixion of Christ is a deep reverence. The kneeling before the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, and as the highest form of expression in the worship of the most sacred, is another stage of worship.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Edit: we're not sure what's going on in a nave where there's a lot of idle chit chat before and after Mass, but it's probabaly not holy. The Sisters of St. Joseph Crandolet, even as they were declining in the seventies used to whack us and give us severe looks for talking before and after Mass. This is probabaly before Father Whackadoodle had instilled a sense of celebration and secular merriment in their minds. This article is long overdue:

[Liturgy Guy] I remember the general quiet and stillness associated with test taking back when I was in school. Everyone understood the necessity of maintaining silence in order to allow for each student to achieve his or her best possible results. Teachers for their part facilitated this by establishing an atmosphere conducive to learning through limiting noise and movement.

Schools of Prayer

What do you experience when you participate in the Holy Mass each Sunday? Do you enter into the sacred, thereby experiencing the same comparable stillness that you would expect to have in a classroom at school? Is noise and motion minimized so that concentration and silence can be maximized? Does your parish allow for the necessary environment that is conducive to deep prayer?

In his 2001 Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Inuente Pope St. John Paul called for our christian communities to become “genuine schools of prayer”. He continued:

Learning this Trinitarian shape of Christian prayer and living it fully, above all in the liturgy, the summit and source of the Church’s life…is the secret of a truly vital Christianity, which has no reason to fear the future, because it returns continually to the sources and finds in them new life. (NMI, 32)

Monday, January 2, 2017

(Rome) On 18 October 2016 one of the faithful presented ECCLESIA DEI with a Dubium (doubt). The question was whether a priest with a regular permission could celebrate a private Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite according to the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (Articles 2 and 5.4) in a validly built private chapel without further permission.

On 3 November, the Pontifical Commission gave its affirmative Responsum (answer). The Commission confirmed that such an event was permitted. At the same time, the Commission reaffirmed that the faithful can of course participate in a private Mass. Anyone who wishes to participate and spontaneously participate in the celebration of the Mass has the right to do so within the meaning of Article 4 of Summorum Pontificum. The number of participants is irrelevant. The priest can also exclude believers from attending.

The reply of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, also states that a private Mass in a private chapel does not require any authorization, for example, by the local priest or local bishop.

In the liturgical form of Pope Paul VI., the term Missa sine populo (Mass without people)
is used for private Mass, but it is confusing, as the term "private Mass" was an occasion for misunderstandings. The term private Mass does not mean a "private" Mass (a priest or a group), excluding third parties. It simply means the difference from a "community Mass" in the sense of Church law, ie the mass of a parish or a convent.

Inquiry to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei

Private Masses may not be publicly announced by the priest. As the Church jurist Gero Weishaupt explained on Introibo.net, however, the priest can provide information to the faithful on request. The faithful, on the other hand, can also publicly call for a private Mass and invite people to participate.

Therefore, the phrase "private Mass" does not refer to the number of participants. Thousands of faithful could attend a private Mass. The phrase "Missa sine populo" (which has replaced the term "private Mass" in the Novus Ordo), on the contrary, means that the priest is permitted to say Mass even if no faithful are present.

Prior to the form of Paul VI. in 1969, a priest required a papal indult to celebrate a Holy Mass without without an altar server. Holy Mass is always an expression of ecclesial communion and of the benefit of the entire Church, which is why at least an altar server or the faithful had to be present.

There was no "solitary" mass in Church history. A celebration without a ministrant was "not inadmissible", only in emergencies, in order to be able to offer the last rites to a dying man. It is only since 1970 that the Church has regularly allowed a priest to celebrate alone.

Monday, June 6, 2016

(Madrid) Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments expressed his hope that the Church in Spain would introduce "in the coming year," the words of consecration pro multis.

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI. approved a decree of the Congregation, to more accurately adjust the translation of the words of consecration in the local language to reflect the Church's Latin language and the Gospels.

Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship 2002-2008, wrote to all bishops' conferences:

"The Bishops' Conferences of the countries where currently the wording 'for all' or an equivalent of it are in use, are therefore requested to provide the faithful in the next one to two years with the necessary catechesis on this issue in order to prepare for the introduction an accurate translation of the phrase pro multis in the local languages- for example, for many, 'by molti', etc. That will be the case for the next translations of the Roman Missal, which will allow for its use in various countries, by the bishops and the Holy See. "

Defaulting Episcopal Conferences

That was ten years ago. Some Bishops' Conferences responded, including those of the US. The English-speaking put the reform through first. The new Spanish translation of the Missal is long finished and has already been implemented by some countries, including Mexico. Other countries are delaying, including Spain, Italy and the German-speaking world.

In Spain, the new translation was even approved by the Episcopal Conference, but it has not yet been implemented. To the north and south of the Alps, in the German and Italian areas, it seems to be understood that the election of Pope Francis has offered a "breathing space" to be able to delay the matter.

The initial justification named was for discussion and a consensus, then the necessary completion and publication of a new missal translation and finally "difficulties" because the faithful would not understand the "change".

The German bishops were so cunning that they initially reinterpreted every implementation of the papal requirement in an arbitrary dialectical word game for "disobedience." Some priests, who felt the faithfulness to Gospel in the words of consecration were important had, namely, started to implement Benedict's mandatory order on their own.

The words of consecration were "always pro multis and never pro omnibus "

Equally paradoxical was the assertion that the people were not properly informed, since that task had been expressly delegated to the bishops. If believers are not sufficiently informed, then this is due to the bishops. In German-speaking countries there were even no efforts for ten years after the papal decision binding for the whole universal Church.

Now In Spain it seems to be working. Cardinal Sarah said this during his recent visit to Spain to InfoVaticana:

"I hope that in 2017 the Mass will be celebrated in Spain Mass with the pro multis."

The "exact translation" of the Latin pro multis in Spanish is "per muchos" (for many) and not "per todos" (for all). This is the way it's translated through the Gospels, which is why there is the order, obligation and desire to adhere to it.

Cardinal Sarah called this to mind that in the Roman Rite it was "always pro multis and never pro omnibus."

Friday, March 25, 2016

In the Good Friday at the beginning of the veneration of the Cross, the liturgy intones the Improperia, the laments of the Saviour. It refers to the Old Testament Micah 6.3 to 4: "My people, what have I done to thee, Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me! I took thee out of the land of Egypt, rescued thee from the house of bondage. As a leader I sent you Moses, Aaron and Miriam ... "

The whole is a legal dispute and as such, it returns to the Good Friday Liturgy: a dispute between the Messiah and his ungrateful people.

This includes the hymn Trisagion, which is sung not only in Latin but also Greek and in the Latin Church as among the Christians of the East.

In addition to the Kyrie Eleison it is the only remaining Greek-speaking part in the Liturgy of the Roman Church, whose liturgical language is Latin since the 4th century.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

Because I brought thee out of the land of Egypt: Thou hast prepared a cross for thy Savior

Because I led thee through the desert 40 years: and fed thee with manna, and brought thee into a land exceedingly good, thou hast prepared a cross for thy Savior.

O Holy God. O Holy Strong One. O Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

What more ought I to do for thee, that I have not done? I planted thee, indeed, my most beautiful vineyard: and thou hast become exceedingly bitter to Me: for in My thirst thou gavest me vinegar to drink: and with a spear thou has pierced the side of thy Savior.

O Holy God. O Holy Strong One. O Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

For thy sake I scourged Egypt with its firstborn: and thou hast scourged Me and delivered Me up.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I brought thee out of Egypt having drowned Pharaoh in the Red Sea: and thou hast delivered Me to the chief priests.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I open the sea before thee: and thou with a spear hast opened My side.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I went before thee in a pillar of a cloud: and thou hast brought Me to the judgment hall of Pilate.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I fed thee with manna in the desert: and thou hast beaten Me with blows and scourges.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I gave you the water of salvation and from the rock to drink: and thou hast given me gall and vinegar.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

For thee I struck the kings of the Canaanites: and thou hast struck My head with a reed.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I gave thee a royal scepter: and thou hast given to My head a crown of thorns.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

I have exalted thee with great power: and thou hast hanged me on the gibbet of the Cross.

My people, what have I done to thee? Or in what have I grieved thee? Answer me.

Monday, September 21, 2015

(Havana / Washington) Did Christ shed his blood "for all" or "for many"? Pope Francis celebrated the first Mass of his pastoral visit to America on Sunday at the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana, and demonstrated there that he takes a both-and on the issue of the words of consecration. With that he doesn't exactly reverse the efforts of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. for a liturgical renewal, but freezes halfway.

Overall, the Pope will celebrate seven Masses in Cuba and in the United States. The words of consecration are, however, not to be identical.

The celebrations take place in Spanish and English as well - at least partially - and the Eucharistic Prayer in the language of the Church, Latin.

Words of consecration are not identical

"If you look at the words of consecration at all these Masses, you will find that you are not the same," said the Vatican expert Sandro Magister.

The first Mass in Revolution Square with the oversized Che Guevara-representation in the back, is something the Castro regime places such great importance during Pope's Visit. Pope Francis celebrated the Mass on Sunday entirely in Spanish. Before half a million faithful, the Pope at the consecration of the wine into the blood of Christ, spoke the words "por vosotros y por todos los hombres para el Perdón de los pecados", literally, "for you and for all men for the forgiveness of sins."

The Mass Francis celebrated also on Monday, 21 September in Holguin and on Tuesday in Santiago de Cuba, were also completely in Spanish.The words of consecration, however, vary somewhat. Instead of "por vosotros" the Church leader used "por ustedes" (polite form) will tell, while the remaining words of consecration were said as in Havana.

Another Country, same language, other words of consecration

Then Pope Francis travels from the Caribbean island to the American mainland and will celebrate his first Mass in the US federal capital Washington. Despite the change of states he will celebrate this Sacrifice of the Mass in Spanish, the native language of a rapidly growing number of US citizens. The words of consecration were spoken - unlike Cuba - not "por todos los hombres" but "por muchos" for many.

So it will be the case with the three other Holy Masses in the US, where the Pope will address the Eucharistic Prayer in Latin: "pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum" for you and for many. In the US, "for all" is not to be heard.

"What can be made of this vacillation between 'for all' and, for many'?"

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

"What can be made of this wavering between the" "close to the words of consecration in the US?" For all "in Cuba and" for many, wondered last Saturday Sandro Magister.

"It can be concluded that the long-standing question that Benedict XVI. finally concluded in 2012 making a definitive and unified worldwide solution is left in limbo by Pope Francis," said the Vatican expert.

The original words of consecration by Benedict XVI., the faithfully arranged transmission of the words of consecration in the vernacular languages, ​​is based directly on the official Latin formula. Because of persistent resistance of some bishops' conferences Benedict XVI. wrote on 14 April 2012 in order to overcome it, a letter to all the bishops. The "pro multis" of the Roman canon should be uniformly applied instead of the hasty translations in the course of the liturgical reform 1965/1969 in the vernaculars. Thus, the German pope wanted to counteract a misleading teaching of universal salvation that was gaining ground among Catholics.He wrote the letter in German, with which he made it clear where the greatest resistance was situated.

"New Mercy" versus Words of Consecration?

The statement of Benedict XVI. is valid for the whole Church. As Pope Benedict resigned, some of the Bishops' Conferences, including the Italian and German, were yet delinquent and had not made a new edition of the Missal. The correction of the formula "for all", which had been naturalized after the Second Vatican Council, through the faithful rendering "for many" is seen by many as a "restriction" of "mercy".

"With the inauguration of Francis, the idea has spread that this diction [for all] corresponds more to the universal expansion of compassion, which is constantly being preached by the new pope," said Magister.

As it seems, the Argentine Pope is representing on this point "no strict position" (Magister) and also does not seem interested in trying to enforce a certain position. His position is rather a both-and, by using both the one and the other diction "even with this trip to Cuba and the United States."

Sunday, March 8, 2015

(Paris), the French editors of Aleteia have published an interview with Cardinal Robert Sarah, the new Prefect of the Roman Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The interview by Elisabeth de Baudouin touches on a wide range of topics, "the liturgy war, criticism of the Pope, Manif pour tous, Islam and Islamism, the significance of Africa." Cardinal Sarah stayed for a few days in Paris to present a new book conversation with the writer Nicolas Diat "God or nothing". On the subject of liturgy, the Cardinal Prefect said:

Eminence, in your book "God or Nothing" you mention the "Liturgy of war" several times that has separated Catholics for decades. A particularly reprehensible war, you say, because the Catholics in this matter should be particularly united. How can these separations be overcome today and all Catholics unite around the cult offered by God?

Cardinal Robert Sarah: The Second Vatican Council has never required us to reject the past and abandon the Mass of Pius V, which has produced many saints, and never to even give up Latin. On the other hand, it was self-willed by the Council liturgical reform itself. The liturgy is the place of direct encounter with God, to bring Him in all our lives, our work, and to offer all this as a sacrifice for His glory. We can not celebrate the liturgy in the weapons and wear armor of hatred, struggle. Jesus Himself said: "Before you offer your gift at the altar, go first to be reconciled to thy brother." In this encounter, 'face to face' with God, our heart must be pure, each free from all hatred and resentment. Everyone must remove from his heart that which can obscure this encounter. This assumes that everyone is respected according to his sensibility.

Is this not exactly what Benedict XVI. wanted?

Cardinal Robert Sarah: Yes, that is the meaning of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Benedict XVI. has put a lot of energy and hope in it. Unfortunately, it's not quite succeeded since both the one and the other is "held fast" to their rites and are mutually exclusive. In the Church everyone should be able to celebrate after their own sensibility. This is one of the conditions for the reconciliation. You must lead the people to the beauty of the liturgy to its holiness. The Eucharist is not a "meal with friends", but a sacred mystery. If it is celebrated with fervor and beauty, we arrive at a reconciliation that is self-evident. However, we must not forget that it is God who reconciles, and that takes time.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Mass of Paul VI first celebrated in 1965 in theParish of All Saints According to the Missal of that year partly in thevernacular

(Rome) This Saturday marks the 50th anniversary celebration of the first Holy Mass by Pope Paul VI. according to the Missal of 1965. Pope Francis wants to remember this event with a visit and a Holy Mass at that Roman parish in which Paul VI. celebrated it on the same day 50 years ago (see report 50 Years Ago Celebrated Paul VI. first Mass in the Vernacular ). A minimalist program and the organization is out of the ordinary. The reason for this behind the walls of the Vatican is the fear of "reactions of the conservatives".

Official Presentation

"On Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 6pm, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in the Roman parish of All Saints. The Pope will recall in this way in the same church and exactly 50 years later the Mass which Pope Paul VI. celebrated for the first time in Italian in accordance with the renewed liturgical norms that had been established by the Second Vatican Council. The visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the death of St. Luigi Orione, as the Superior General of the Little Work of Divine Providence, Don Flavio Peloso recalled."

As far as the official message of the Pope's memorial celebration, which the event recalls, was only the first stage of further, more radical reforms.The 1965 Missal was appropriate to the appeal to the Second Vatican Council. But the same does not apply to the following stages that led to the liturgical reform of 1969/1970, which went far beyond the requirements of the Council and while still having a justification in the Council documents are non-binding provisions.

The Program

The liturgical reform represents the most dramatic event in recent history. That's why the manner in which the Holy See will remember it is so astonishing. The 1965 Missal was only a short-lived stage, which has, except the vernacular, so little in common with the actual liturgical reform. So why the memorial, if it's not the Schmiedls, but the Schmieds who will be thought of in four years, namely the actual liturgical reform of 1969? Is the representation meant to awaken by the intermediate stage and fuzzy representations, the impression that the liturgical reform was covered by the Second Vatican Council?

On the one hand Pope Francis is giving the most attention and the same day to the memory to the reform, on the other hand, it should be a quick visit. The amount budgeted for the Pope's visit time is "extremely small," Chiesa e postconcilio says: The time for celebration will be followed by a quick greeting to the community of the Order of the Sons of Divine Providence of Don Orione, who oversee the parish, and a short stop in the garden of the associated school. The visit is organized by the Secretariat of State and not by the Prefect of the Pontifical Household, as would be usual.

The Unofficial Representation

"The reason for this is not found naturally in official documents, but it can be heard in all corridors in the offices of the Holy See: They are afraid of reactions of the 'conservatives'" said the well-informed, traditional Roman Blog Chiesa e postconcilio .

Chiesa e postconcilio finds the Vatican's concern about "conservative" reactions amusing, because "in the past 50 years there had been no protests of traditional Catholics, nor 'conservatives', against the Missal of 1965 and it is not against the Novus Ordo Missae from 1969." It was and will be pointed on the diminutio of the Novus Ordo.

Chiesa e postconcilio writes: "More than 'reactions' of the 'conservatives'. but the reasons for the 'conservatives' are to be feared.The test run of the Novus Ordo was carried out in 1967, mind you in Latin, and retired in most fierce criticism. The affirmative vote of the first Synod of Bishops was clearly in the minority. The reason was that in 1967 it was rejected, but nevertheless the Mass introduced in 1969 was fundamentally different from that of the 1965 Missal.

"Reform of the Reform:" Missale 1962 and Missale 1969 Merged in the Missale 1965?

The 1965 Missal was actually exactly what the Council had wanted: the Liturgy of the Word in the vernacular, the Eucharistic celebration in Latin, plenty of space for the laity, including the most expendable "prayer of the faithful", which included seemingly daring simplification of many parts of the liturgy etc. This is the view of Pope Benedict XVI., who followed the even greater liturgist Klaus Gamber. We will probably never know whether the "reform of the reform" Benedict should have been in the unlikely attempt to bring together the 1962 Missal and the Missal of 1969 based on the 1965 Missal. It's an experiment which would not have satisfied both Catholics and the modernists. But so it goes with all attempts to impose from above a theoretical basis of liturgy and spirituality.

A rapidly assembled 1965 Missal was expected to wrest the liturgy from 'the crazy reformers', but it reached the exact opposite. There the Protestant taste of the 'reformers' was not sufficiently revolutionary, it disappeared quickly into oblivion with Annibale Bugnini whose actions can never be deplored enough.

Contempt by "Reformers"

Given that we haven't even experienced and we are not experiencing protests by faithful Catholics, but the exact opposite, namely a decided opposition without ifs and buts and full of contempt on the part of many too many bishops and priests against the traditional rite, who were driven by a current, which has now become a raging flood.

All this would actually be incredible enough, had we not have been bludgeoned repeatedly and had the contempt of those we feel should be shepherds and supports to us actually, instead of recognizing our spiritual sensitivity that we the might prefer the Roman Rite antiquior. It is not something that became today, but that of two thousand years of the Church and belongs to the whole Church, a universal and eternal Rome. A universal law of the Church, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum assures us that right. And so it was also confirmed by Cardinal Burke in his recent interview.

Not afraid of "Reactions", but the Reasons of Tradition

We are not obligated to the reasons , who for us the shining power of dogmas and if yet is not able to warm priestly (?) hearts of those that are currently tearing down all the walls, but are ready and respectfully as ever to follow the current pope, while he has ignored or defied his predecessors. And it seems as though there is nothing of which the masters of the newly proclaimed tenderness could be mildly persuaded.

So what do they have to fear? Our weapons are the rosary, adoration and loyalty. If anything, they would do well to fear the Lord, whose mercy has never been separated from His righteousness," said Chiesa e postconcilio .

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Edit: especially when it comes to those he studiously ignores, and to those he lavishes special consideration, like a dissident Irish priest whose cause he championed today.

(Vatican) Monsignor Guillermo Karcher, one of Papal ceremonialists spoke recently in an interview about his daily work with Pope Francis. The interview was conducted by the Internet TV channel of the Argentine news site Infobae . The Argentine Karcher has belonged for several years at the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Pope. He is incardinated in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and has known Pope Francis for 20 years. He works at the State Secretariat and is one of the ceremonialists of the Pope. As such, he was on duty during the conclave. In the evening, when Pope Francis was presented to the world, he held onto the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica the microphone (see picture). In the Bild interview he gives a little insight into the life and work of the Pope.

Monsignor Karcher is a ceremonialist who belongs to those collaborators of the Roman Curia, who work closely with Pope Francis and see him most often. The Pope leads a "very regular life," said Msgr Karcher. "He rises between 4.30 und 5 clock and goes fill 10 to 11pm to bed." The Pope from Argentina "receives a lot of people every day and maintains close contacts with the Roman Curia.” After morning Mass in the chapel of the guest house Santa Marta he goes to "Breakfast, then we bring him the news from around the world, we chat with each other ... and then begins his day.” Karcher said: "He handles his appointments himself, Bergoglio organized his own life. “

"He has learned to be Pope In less than a year"

For handling of the Pope with the people and their expectations in Argentina and the politicians with whom he maintained contact, said the ceremonialist: "He has a lot of imagination. He maintains the contact with the people, that hasn’t changed.”

Among the postures and gestures of the Pope said Karcher: "In less than a year he has learned to be Pope.”

As early as last March, Msgr Karcher said in an interview with Vatican insider , Pope Francis has "a sixth sense". The Pope was able "to recognize a sick or needy person amid the crowd. This is a special grace, he can feel it in the heart.“

The pope goes "very methodically", saying it is "a characteristic of his Jesuit character. In his daily routine is a place for everything and everyone." Prior to morning Mass Francis he prepares his sermon.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

(Rome) The always valid ban on lay people getting too close to the holy things and touching the chalice and the sacred vessels, was officially enshrined in the earliest Christian times by the holy Pope Sixtus I (c. 115-125). The commemoration of this Pontiff is committed by the Church in the old and the new liturgical calendar on 3 April. His Latin first name alludes to the number six. Sixtus was the sixth successor of the Apostle Peter and the seventh Vicar of Christ on earth. The son of a Roman priest and shepherd was elected by the clergy of Rome on 115 to the bishop.

The need to explicitly codify the prohibition resulted from attempts by the unworthy to approach holy things, which are exclusively reserved for the priests of God. The sacredness of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass resulted in the Latin Church, as in the apostolic Eastern Church, to largely obscure services from the sight of outsiders, but also of the faithful. Non-baptized persons were not allowed to enter the houses of worship during the Holy Mass. The Sacrifice of the Mass took place in the West behind a curtain and takes place in the East today behind the iconostasis for the protection of the Holy.

Penetration of the Laity in the Presbytery

It was not until the revolution of the zealots of the liturgical reform, which came after the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent liturgical abuses, meant that the laity invaded to the restricted area of the presbyterium during the Holy Mass, the Sanctum Sanctorum, which - as the name presbyter = Priest - expresses, is reserved to the celebrant and the altar servants. In many places the laity are instructed to hand out Holy Communion, so that they take not only the Holy vessels, but also the consecrated Hosts in the hand.

At the time of Pope Sixtus I the emperor Hadrian (117-138) ruled, an original philosopher on the throne, a lover of Greek culture and art. Although heathen, he declined the persecution of Christians. To one of his proconsuls in Africa, he wrote: "If someone brings charges and can prove that the Christians who commit offenses against the laws are guilty, leave, then punish them for their crimes. By Hercules, yet if someone is just looking for a mere pretext to punish them, then you have to decide depending on the severity and punish them instead."

Seal of Christian Liturgical Tradition

Pope Sixtus put particular emphasis on the faithful preservation and development of the cultus. He summed up the current practice together with provisions that were to be a seal for the Christian liturgical tradition. It was also a big concern for him that all the Christian communities themselves remained in contact, because, as it seems it had already come to pass during his pontificate, because the exact date of the Easter celebrations became the first disagreement between East and West.

Christian tradition also owes Sixtus I for the hymn of the Trisagion, which was dedicated of the divine Trinity triple Sanctus. The expression of Greek Trisagion hagios (holy) and treis (three) means the thrice-holy God. Already in the Old Testament we find this definition of the Holy Trinity. The thrice Holy Prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament corresponds to the naming of the three divine persons in the New Covenant as saying: Holy is God the Father, God is holy son, holy God is the Holy Spirit. In order to acquire this knowledge independently, you had to be able to read and know well the Scriptures and thus belong to the circle of educated people. To make this praise of the Trinity accessible to all believers, Pope Sixtus introduced the thrice praise into worship in the Holy Mass just before the Consecration and Transubstantiation.

Trisagion, the Thrice Holy in the Old and New Testaments

All apostolic churches regardless of rite know this Trisagion, the angels singing, which Isaiah heard, when he had his vision of heaven. The well after him, it was described by St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in the Apocalypse (4:8).

Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805-1875), the famous Benedictine Abbot of Solesmes said: "What do the angels sing?Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth . They celebrate the holiness of God. But how do they celebrate? In a perfect way: they use the superlative, in which they call three times that God is really holy. (...) But why did they turn to God three times with the determination of holiness? Because holiness is the most important of divine perfection: God in his essence is holy. "

"God is as Strong as Holy and as Sacred as Strong"

The Trisagion we also find in the Te Deum : " Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth "(Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts). The hosts in the service of the Almighty have nothing to fear, as all wars, tests and hurdles running by their God have ended in triumph. Dom Guéranger wrote: "God is holy and strong, as strong as holy and as sacred as strong."

This Roman Pope whose holiness is sung in Catholic Christendom to this day, died not as a martyr, although he is occasionally. His grave is awaiting the resurrection of the body, is not near the grave of St. Peter in the Vatican, but in the Cathedral of St. Paul in Alatri in Rome, where he is revered as a patron saint.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

(Rome) A pastor has spectacularly restored his parish church which dates from the 18th Century, and then removed the "volksaltar." In architectural, aesthetic, and especially liturgical respects, he reasoned that it was a mandatory step. Because of the Church's climate, however, it is an almost "revolutionary," courageous step.

The Italian Archdiocese of Modena in the Po Valley was rocked by a major earthquake in 2012. Two priests died in their churches under the cascading debris. The pastor of the parish of San Michele Arcangelo of Montale Rangone, is Canon Andrea Gianelli, who restored his parish superlatively and removed the people's altar on this occasion. The priest, who had been ordained in 1970, is said to have been encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI. for some time as concerns liturgical questions. The restoration of the earthquake-damaged church would then have been an occasion for him to act.

Oreientation "mandatory" coram Deo

The intrepid and well-known in his diocesan priest had sent the church newspaper of his archdiocese, the reasons for his decision,which was printed in its entirety on 15 December 2013. The pastor explained how it is generally understood that the priest prays in persona Christi at the altar "and sacrifices, as Jesus Himself would offer sacrifice to God the Father. Thus, the attitude of prayer also changes physically, because it occurs in a direct relationship to God. Even the people pray, but not directly, but through the ordained priest, who says the Eucharistic Prayer alone for this reason. The people hear him and are united with him in the end by the Amen. The people worship and unites with his sacrifice, but also his joys in the sacrifice of Christ, but this part of the Mass is essential priestly. It follows necessarily that all are oriented towards the Lord. Not surprisingly, it is called in response to the invitation to lift up our hearts: We lift them up to the Lord."

No Obligation For "People's Altar"

Canon Gianelli then illustrated, referring to Pope Benedict XVI., that the direction of prayer for the Church was always East from the beginning, "which is almost 1950 years long," which speaks of an "authentic tradition." "It is a mistake to think that Jesus had looked at the Last Supper toward the apostles, as if he were sitting in their midst. The famous Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which many artists have followed, mediated a false picture of those events as studies clearly. "The Second Vatican Council doesn't say anything about a people's altar and a prayer towards the people," just as much as it says that the Latin language of the Church was abolished, but rather put it specifically states that it is to be preserved." The Congregation for Divine Worship made ​​it clear in a document of 2000 that there is no compulsion or obligation to prepare a "people's altar".

Church Newspaper: Is a Change of Practice "Opportune"?

However, the church newspaper added a comment. It was the decision of the canon, who was consecrated in 1970, which not only wasn't criticized, but expressly praised. In praising, it was acknowledged that in his reasoning for the three places of celebration in the Novus Ordo (chair, lectern, altar), but also his emphasis that the Eucharistic Prayer is a prayer direction and in a double sense is "oriented."

The church newspaper described the decision as "totally permissible and lawful" because they have violated neither a legal nor a liturgical provision. However, the diocesan paper then raised the question whether it was "opportune," to celebrate coram Deo after celebrating "50 years" facing the people. For a justification, the church paper said that with a celebration ad populum, the Eucharist can be "observed."

"Unfounded Rationalization"

"The reasoning is completely baseless," said Messa in Latino , "because 50 years is not a sufficient span of time for the Church to derive a liturgical customary law. In addition, the reason for the direction of prayer is not the Eucharist, which is also observed in the traditional form, but turning to God, the sacrificial character instead of the character of a meal, the symbolic meaning of the altar cross, the priest and the people are facing and not facing each other, in order to face the East of the returning Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. "

In addition, they are astonished at the sudden reverence for the Holy Eucharist, "since otherwise there is heard no criticism, however, that the tabernacle is not relegated to a few churches, new and old, in dark, secluded corners," said Messa in Latino . "The laudable example of Canon Gianelli shows that even priests ordained in the New Rite and celebrating a life in the New Rite have been able to identify and rethink undesirable developments through their involvement with the liturgy."

"Will the Ordinary accept the pastor's step?" Asked Messa in Latino . The faithful have accepted him. The removal of the volksaltar has, says canon Gianelli, been the occasion in his parish for some discussion. He had, however, explained his decision in detail and the believers seem to have understood it.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

(Jakarta) on the 15th of October Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi, the Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia, just opened a meeting there on the 50th Anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. In the celebration of Holy Mass to begin the meeting, he delivered a sermon to be reproduced in excerpts. In it he talked about the primacy and beauty of the liturgy and criteria to distinguish true and false reform.

Nothing has Precedence Over the Liturgy

First, the nuncio stressed the importance of the Mass. It is neither a "secondary" nor a "purely formal" act or just an "accessory" for meetings and conferences. Rather, "the celebration of the liturgy even has priority over study, it remains infinitely greater and more important than all our thoughts about them." The Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium recalls the words: "From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree."(SC 7). Nuncio Filipazzi urged cultivation and promotion of this awareness. The sacred liturgy should therefore "never be reduced to an arbitrarily manipulable object", as Pope Benedict XVI. has stressed. "Unfortunately it is perhaps that the liturgy seen is seen as an object that is to be reformed, and not as a subject capable of renewing Christian life - - even by us pastors and experts" (Speech to the staff of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute, Sant'Anselmo, 6 May 2011).

"We must approach the liturgy, be it when we celebrate it, as well as when we study it with the awed attitude of Moses, when he approached the burning bush, signs of the presence of the living God," said the Nuncio.

Neither the Holy Mass should be regarded as a mere formal gesture that set, because it is just as common in church meetings. Instead, the Council's Constitution recall that "the liturgy of the peak, where the action of the Church tends, and also the source from which all her power flows" (SC 10). "From this source of grace celebrated the sacred mysteries of the Church is also the light and the strength to think about the liturgy," Archbishop Filipuzzi. "The just shall live by faith" (Rom 1:17), St. Paul quoted in Romans, the prophet Habakkuk and remind us that the faith is the principle that everything must enlighten and guide our lives, because it related to the "impact of the liturgy on the reality that God and the salvation of concern," the nuncio. The deepening of the study of liturgy could therefore only be performed by the "light of faith".

"This session we will start on the anniversary of St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor of the Church. The commemoration of the saints highlights an important dimension of the liturgy, which is pronounced in every Holy Mass at the end of the Preface: And so we join the angels and saints, and we sing the praise of your glory: Holy, Holy, Holy God, God of power and might. Heaven and Earth are Full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Earthly Liturgy as an Anticipation of the Heavenly Liturgy

The conciliar Constitution brings this dimension of the liturgy follows the expression: "In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle; we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with Him in glory."(SC 8).

In the liturgy, the sky opens to the earth (cf. Benedict XVI., Esor. Ap. Sacramentum Caritatis, 35), God shows himself to us in all His majesty, and we encounter Christ. See the glory of God in the creation of the world as St. Paul calls to mind and as the Church in prayer says. Therein lies the beauty of the Divine Liturgy, the earthly liturgy of the Church, "a beauty that is inherent in the liturgy and does not depend on our efforts to make it beautiful by human agents that do not conform to the liturgy," said the Nuncio. The intrinsic beauty of the sacred celebrations acts of itself, "and not to have celebrated in our way through, as we think of the liturgy, so that it radiates this divine beauty."

The mentality has spread that thinks the liturgy is made "interesting" by Inventiveness

"Unfortunately, the mentality and the resulting practice has spread, according to which the liturgy must constantly change, adapt to different communities and should be made interesting by our inventiveness. Celebrations that spring from such thinking as this will not show the real beauty of the Church! Already the craving for new tools to make the liturgy interesting, have already shown how fickle and fleeting this contrived beauty is which is created by us," said the Nuncio.
"The Holy Spirit enlightens the work of this conference and the liturgical life of Indonesia, so that the true nature of the beauty of the liturgy is always better recognized and understood, and all the priests and believers are trying to make them shine in every celebration," said Archbishop Filipuzzi.

The Nuncio then asked how the saints, for example, St. Teresa of Avila, can help ain the understanding of the liturgy today. The life and work of Saint Teresa of Avila was performed in a time that was marked both by the appearance of Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, and on the other hand the Catholic reform, and thus, the response of the Catholic Church on the need for renewal in the Church, which mainly concretized in the Council of Trent and in the work of many saints of that century. At the time of the holy Carmelite, therefore, there were two forms of "reform" present: a reform that broke up the visible unity of Christ's Church, and reform, on the other hand, producing a new flowering of Christian life, which has rich whose benefits for us.

Church History knows many examples of true and false reforms
"History shows us that in almost every era in the Church encountered true and false reforms. Rather, even within each process for the renewal of ecclesial life, mixing elements of true reform and other, such that it impoverished and defaced the face of the Church. It is therefore necessary to clarify the criteria for identifying to distinguish between the true and the false reform.

These criteria can not be subjective or simply pragmatic, but must be criteria of faith, because the Church is a divine-human reality that can be truly realized only with the light of divine revelation. If we consider the two thousand years of experience of the Church, we can identify some criteria.

Any genuine renewal of the Church must take place in full accordance with the teachings of the Church, it must be done in respect of the hierarchical structure and the order of the Church, it must benefit the community and unity of the Church, it must preserve the heritage of spirituality and piety of the past, it must resist the urge of fallen human nature and especially also the influences of the secular mentality, and with an attitude of patience and humility," said the Nuncio.

"Light and Shadow" Since the Council - St. Teresa of Avila, however, Only Light

"These are the criteria that should guide the implementation of what the Second Vatican Council established 50 years ago in the liturgy. This half century saw light and shadow, positive and negative aspects of the liturgical life of the Church. It is also was associated that the instructions of the Council were not always implemented according to the principles of a true Church reform.

If we look at the life and work of Saint Teresa of Jesus, we see the full realization of the requirements for a true renewal of the church. At the end of her life, she could exclaim with good reason, I am a daughter of the Church, "and therefore she gave the Church impetus for a real and lasting renewal. We ask her for her intercession, so that the considerations of these days, but especially the liturgical life of the Christian community in Indonesia, will be conducted always of those true criteria. "
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Cantuale Antonianum / Vatican
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...

Saturday, July 27, 2013

(Rio de Janeiro) The pictures published by the daily newspaper La Informacion shows Pope Francis at the private celebration of Mass on Tuesday at the residence of Sumaré where the head of the Church lives during his Brazil visit to Rio de Janeiro. Accion Liturgica drew attention to the candlesticks and a crucifix that were centrally placed on the altar.

These were corresponding elements of the liturgical renewal during the pontificate of Benedict XVI., to clarify that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was never ad populum , but always celebrated ad Deum even in the Novus Ordo with a Volksaltar [Cramner Table] and and the attitude of the priest executed facing the nave of the church.

The four candles are in accordance with the prescriptions by Saint Pope Pius V in the "Tridentine Mass", according to the old practice for a private exhibition of a bishop, and in the specific case of the Pope. According to the regulation, the candles are conformed to the crucifix in the middle altar in materials and workmanship.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

(Vatican) Will Piero Marini soon be in charge of the Papal liturgies? The Papal Master of Ceremonies Monsignor Guido Marini, put into practice the Liturgical renewal of Pope Benedict XVI., is to be again replaced by Monsignor Piero Marini and thus his predecessor, will again be his successor? These questions were posed today by the church historian and Catholic blogger Francisco Fernandez de la Cigoña. "If that should happen, the pope would clearly express what liturgical taste is. The exact opposite of Benedict XVI." said de la Cigoña.

The Pope has every right to appoint a new master of ceremonies, or to resume the one he has. The Archbishop Piero Marini, the pope was received today by Francis in an audience, “must mean nothing, but it can mean a lot," said de la Cigoña.

Archbishop Piero Marini was master of ceremonies under Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI. replaced him in 2007 by Monsignor Guido Marini. Despite the similarity of names the two represent entirely different Marinis of liturgical sensibilities. The reigning master of ceremonies Guido Marini comes from the Genoese school of Cardinal Siri.

Should Piero Marini be brought back, "we know exactly what liturgy appeals to the Pope and what does not. Some idea we have already,” said the Spanish church historian.

The official daily newsletter of the Vatican Press Office on 4 April under "Audiences" reported:
The Holy Father Francis has received in audience this morning:

His Eminence Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples

The Pope receives in audience this morning:

His Eminence Cardinal James Michael Harvey, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls

Saturday, March 23, 2013

(Vatican) The Vatican publishing house has printed the booklet distributed to the faithful for the celebration of the Pope's Palm Sunday liturgy. Cantuale Antonianum drew a comparison with the previous years papal liturgy under Pope Benedict XVI., because there were fears that the painstakingly developed liturgical renewal of Benedict XVI. would be undone. The handwriting of the papal master of ceremonies Monsignor Guido Marini is still unmistakable. The liturgy is thus “completely identical” to Cantuale Antonianum, except of course the vintage year (2013 Palm Sunday liturgy , Palm Sunday liturgy in 2012 ).

There is only one eye-stinging difference. The parts of the preface or the blessing sung by the celebrant contain no notes in the booklet for the Palm Sunday, 2013. Therein it is concluded in the Cantuale Antonianum that the Pope would not sing. The Holy See has this notofficially expressed their opinion and therefore has not stated the reasons for it. Cantuale Antonianum voices the suspicion that Pope Francis can not sing. "What remains is speculative for now," said the site.

To another physical aspect Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombadi has not yet taken a position. Pope Francis has celebrated by him in the celebration of the Eucharist at the major elevation of the prayer made at the Body and Blood of Christ does not genuflect. The fact confused and led to numerous inquiries.

Singing and knee problems the pope?

In the booklet for the solemn Pontifical Mass for the inauguration on 19 March was expressly noted that the Pope after the elevation "kneels in adoration." Pope Francis occurred yet, as previously, only one bow. Also in the magazine for the Palm Sunday liturgy is again recorded in both places that the Pope after the conversion words "kneels in adoration." For this too must a physical disability will be accepted which makes a genuflection possible, especially since the genuflection is prescribed and Pope Benedict XVI. is able to execute it despite his almost 86 years and his painful hip problems. A simple explanation by the "Newsroom" of the Holy See would provide clarity.

"Even if the Pope does not sing and can't kneel down, this is not to say that the priests should imitate him in it,” said Cantuale Antonianum because the papal liturgy should generally be a role model for priests. "Human limitations should not be a reason for others to liturgical fractures. It's not about a question of style, but the substance,“ said the website, which is mainly dedicated to questions of liturgy and church music.

On Palm Sunday again, the antiphon Pueri Hebraeorum will be sung during the procession on St. Peter's Square. "A beautiful example that should be imitated in the parishes .” The following is the recording from the Palm Sunday procession in 2011 The verses are sung in Italian.

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Purpose

This is a polemical Catholic Royalist blog. It will also attempt to provide a window onto various events, situations and personalities not generally or favorably presented to the purview of the general public in the English speaking world. It also hopes to be a bridge for those who wish to cross over, unite and fight for the truth.